Although Netflix typically keeps its streaming numbers secreted away in some digital vault, probably guarded by a mid-level corporate IT guy named Steve, it’s safe to assume that shows like The Office and Friends are among the most-watched on the platform. Confirming this assumption is a recent study conducted by The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult, which polled 2,201 adults about what would make them unsubscribe from Netflix. Turns out, the Young Folks would be mighty pissed if Netflix got rid of The Office or Friends, with 49 percent of subscribers between the ages of 18 and 29 saying they would quit Netflix if those shows—along with Marvel and Disney content—were removed from the service. (32 percent of all subscribers agreed with that sentiment.) That makes sense. The Office and Friends are two of the most easily digestible and re-watchable sitcoms in recent history. Those are the shows that are almost always on TBS or Comedy Central or whatever during the early evening hours. They’re televised comfort foods.
But what if Netflix kept The Office and Friends and lost Marvel and Disney content—something that will actually happen this year when Disney launches its own streaming platform, Disney+? The poll helpfully presented several hypothetical scenarios, mixing and matching these four pillars of content to find out exactly what it would take to make the most people ditch Netflix. 31 percent would unsubscribe if the service lost The Office and all Disney and Marvel content, compared to 30 percent if you replaced The Office with Friends in that scenario (ooh, burn). The percentage sticks pretty close to that in most scenarios, but it’s interesting to note that 28 percent of subscribers said they’d quit Netflix if it lost all Disney and Marvel content—a theory that will be put to the test later this year. My guess? Maybe like 5 percent of those people aren’t bluffing. I once swore I’d kiss Netflix goodbye if it ever lost my precious 30 Rock, which I fell asleep to every night for more years than I’m comfortable sharing here. And then Netflix lost 30 Rock. So I started falling asleep to Parks And Recreation instead. Point is: there will always be some sweet streaming content to fill your particular pop culture void.
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